ICPC Ag Chair Musa
ICPC Ag Chair Musa usman
Abubakar
ICPC Arraigns Poly Lecturer over N13mn
Fraud
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC) has arraigned Mr. Afolabi Samuel Olufemi, a
former lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic Ede, Osun State and his
associate, Mr. Bashiru Aremu before Justice Wasiu Oladejo Akanbi of
Osun State High Court 3, sitting in Osogbo for allegedly obtaining
the sum of N13.3m from Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND)
under the guise of running a doctorate degree in the United States
of America (USA) before diverting it to personal purposes.
When the charges were read in court, it was revealed that in
January 2014, Mr. Afolabi, while serving as Head of Accounting and
Finance Department of the Polytechnic with the help of his
associate, Bashiru, who claimed to be the African Representative of
Adam Smith University, USA, allegedly obtained the sum of
N13,328,000 (Thirteen Million, Three Hundred and Twenty Eight
Thousand Naira Only) from TETFUND under the pretense of running a
foreign doctorate degree programme.
Mr. Afolabi, who has since retired, diverted it to his personal
use and was therefore charged for “engaging in criminal conspiracy
to confer corrupt advantage upon selves contrary to section 26
(1)(c) and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Act 2000”.
Afolabi was also charged for “obtaining money by false pretense
– an offence that contravenes Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee
Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2004”.
Other offences allegedly committed by the accused persons under
the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 were
“fraudulent receipt of property contrary to Section 13 and
punishable under Section 68; knowingly furnishing false statement
in respect of money received, an offence contrary to Section 16;
intent to deceive the Principal, contrary to and punishable under
Section 17 (1)(c) and making a statement which is false to a public
officer, an offence contrary to Section 25 (1)(a) and punishable
under Section 25 (1) (b).
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges and
their counsel, Mrs. Olateju Kolawole and Mr. Oyewale Dauda
thereafter requested for bail, which was not opposed by ICPC
counsel, Mr. Sulaiman H. Abdulkareem and Mr. Kehinde Adetoye.
Justice Akanbi granted bail to the accused persons in line with
the terms of administrative bail earlier granted them by ICPC, with
the condition that their sureties who were expected to be present
in court must be civil servants not below Grade Level 15 and above,
working within the jurisdiction of the court and they should also
produce N5 million each in like sum.
The trial was adjourned to 10th December 2018, for further
hearing.
Signed: Mrs. Rasheedat A. Okoduwa, ,mni
Spokesperson for the Commission